medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
Today (25. November) is the feast day of:
Moses of Rome (d. 251) Cyprian of Carthage tells that Moses was a
priest in Rome, the leader of a group of priests who were martyred
early in the Decian persecution.
Mercurius (?) Mercurius is a popular warrior saint of the east.
Legend tells that he was a successful soldier serving at Rome. When
the Goths threatened the city during Decius' reign, M. led the
defense, armed with a sword he had received from an angel. After the
inevitable victory, Decius ordered thanksgiving sacrifices to the
state gods---which M. didn't attend. M. then proclaimed himself a
Christian. So Decius wanted him dead, but was so afraid that the
Romans would rebel that he had M. taken to Cappadocia for torture and
decapitation. Interestingly, M. is also credited with killing Julian
the Apostate in 363. He is supposed to have appeared in heaven and
got the emperor with a spear. He also appeared to the Christian
soldiers at Antioch during the First Crusade.
Elizabeth the Good (blessed) (d. 1420) Elizabeth was born to poor
parents in Wurttemberg. She became a Franciscan tertiary and an
extreme mystic. According to her confessor (who wrote a German
account of her life), she lived long periods without food, had an
awful lot of trouble with demons, had a lot of ecstasies, and
periodically suffered the stigmata. Her cult was approved in 1766.
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